


Playing with Fire

by shinosnipslip



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-09-15 19:21:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9252242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinosnipslip/pseuds/shinosnipslip
Summary: So, it's an every-day Dragon Age Dorian x Inquisitor thing. Neros attempts to lead the Inquisition, as well as deal with his own problems. He had one good hand left, and now it's crap. His younger sister and two fellow clan-mates, Gaelyn and Athetriel, follow his lead and join the Inquisition as best they can. Problems arise and Neros has no idea how he gets past them.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

* * *

 

He was reluctant to leave, but the humans the clan traded with often talked about this... Conclave. As a result of the other hunters telling the Keeper, she had asked Neros to go and observe, for the way the mages and Templars were warring threatened the clan's survival.

"Please, _da'len_. I could not ask anyone else. You are from the alienage there, and your sister is the First of our clan. I cannot take her from her studies." The Keeper pleaded with Neros.

She wasn't wrong. Neros and Ry'Lanna had escaped Wycome's alienage. Their parents had died years before, so Neros was responsible for raising Ry'Lanna. When they ran off, they came across the Dalish, who had taken them under their wing.

Neros sighed, taking his hands from the Keeper's. He wasn't much a talker, but his hand gestures spoke for him. It was painfully obvious that he was uncomfortable with anyone grabbing his hands. "I'll... See what I can do... Please keep Ry safe..." Neros whispered. He never usually raised his voice, and if he did, people knew he was angry. Or excited.

"I will do all I can, _da'len_." She reassured him. When she grabbed his hands again, he didn't withdraw. He couldn't hide his small smile.

"I will be back soon... I promise..." Neros nodded, walking off. The Keeper couldn't remember a time where this boy wasn't in the Clan. The corners of Keeper Deshanna's eyes crinkled as she smiled. The boy and his sister were gifts to the clan.

"By the Creators, be careful, _da'len_..." She whispered. A sense of dread filled the old woman's heart.

Ry'Lanna ran up behind her brother, her long hair whipping behind her. Neros could hear her footsteps as soon as she started running. "Brother..!" She ran up, brushing her hair behind her ear. "You're not really going to this... Divine Conclave, are you..?"

"Keeper asked me to... I promise, I'll be back as fast as I can..." He responded. The pout Ry gave him broke his defenses, her large green eyes shining yet mixed with sleepiness. The majority of the Clan had woken up just minutes ago. He hated it when she pouted. He groaned, looking up at the pale sky. "Ugh, don't Ry... I can only go so fast..."

"You're such an angry elf..." She continued to pout. Neros opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Ry'Lanna took the words right out of his mouth. "I know, I know, you're tough because you had to protect me when we were younger from the butts back ho-"

" _This_ is home, Ry. We _are_ home. Back there was not home." He barely raised his voice, but it was enough for Ry to know that he cared nothing for Wycome's alienage. There was nothing for them there anymore. He studied her face. "Ugh, I'm sorry... I'm..."

"You're trying. I know, big brother." She smiled as if nothing was wrong. "Knock 'em dead." She paused as she knew that it sounded wrong. "Er... Well, don't really knock them dead, just... Watch and learn?"

Neros let out a soft chuckle. "See you later, sister..." He turned and left for the horsemaster in the nearest village.

It had taken him a few hours to get to the farm. Whenever Neros and a few other hunters went and bargained with the humans in Wycome, they usually asked to borrow the horses from the horse master.

He gave the horse master the usual amount of money to borrow it.

"When will you be back?" The Master asked.

"I do not know, if at all... I... I am willing to pay for the horse instead of simply borrowing it..." Neros shook his head. He honestly had no idea when he'd be back. More than anything, he was frightened. He knew something was going to happen, something bad.

"No, no. You knife-ears have been nice enough. Oh - there I go again... I mean nothing by it..." The Master shook his head angrily. He was clearly frustrated with himself.

"It is quite alright, ser... But are you certain?"

"Yes. Sweet blood of Andraste, you people are nicer than the people in Wycome, sometimes." He shrugged. "Think of her as a gift. She'll be waiting for you when you get back."

Neros nodded, grateful for the horse. "I'll take care of-"

"Analiese. That's her name. Daughter named her before she left for the Chantry and..."

_Never came back. Yes..._

Neros forced a smile to his lips. "I'll make sure Analiese is well taken care of. Thank you for her." Neros nodded his head in thanks. The Master helped him on the horse. He's always needed help.

His hands felt like they were burning the whole time he gripped the reins. He was certain there were blisters forming. Leaning forward, Neros reached into the small pack on the side of the saddle and took out his leather gloves. His hands slid easily into the cool leather, already starting to warm up his calloused fingers.

His head began to droop forward, struggling to keep his eyes open, his hands burning from holding the reins too tightly. 

Neros grunted once his back hit the dirt, deciding to forgo the whole "properly get off the saddle" thing. Frustrated with even moving, at the moment, Neros simply rested in the grass. He looked at the stars, naming what constellations he could. Analiese nickered as she ate and caught her breath from the day's travel.

Granted, the constellations were elvhen and Tevene in name, but it did well with passing time. He didn't know what the names meant, and sometimes he didn't know how to pronounce them. Neros's mind wandered as he started imagine little scenarios for each of the constellations he was able to name. As for the ones he couldn't name-

Neros stiffened and remained still as he heard voices.

"... it dead..?" He heard a voice whisper.

"I don't know... Poke it with a stick and find out..." A second dared.

Neros's nose scrunched up. _It_? Neros was an _it_ now?

Analiese moved around Neros, nickering nervously. He could hear the sound of swords clanging against armour. _Hrmph... Soldiers... Templars probably..._

"Look. Get the horse. I'll loot the body."

Fast as he could, Neros was on his right knee, left up, bow taut and arrow at the ready. The dew-kissed grass was getting onto his knee. "One more step and you'll go meet your god..." Neros nearly snarled. The soldiers looked from Kirkwall. Their shields held Kirkwall's seal. They didn't move as the elf, or _it_ , in their case, held an arrow at the ready. "Why are you so far away from Kirkwall..?" Neros wondered, standing next to Analiese, calming her down. The last thing he wanted was a run away horse.

"We were heading from Wycome, then heard of the Divine Conclave. We knew the docks were near here, just further South. Coming across you was pure coincidence." The first soldier's voice was muffled from under his helm. "We saw the horse, and you, not knowing if you were alive or not."

Cautiously, he lowered his arm. Gathering what he had, he saddled himself again, still watching the Kirkwallers. They didn't seem to have any long distance weapons. At least they told him what he needed to know without him demanding.

 _Huh_... Neros was not going to enjoy this bloody Divine Conclave...

Grabbing the water bag he was carrying, he took a healthy drink. "You probably don't even know what I'm saying," He started talking to the horse as he often did the halla back home. "But, Creators, do I want to do home..." Neros sighed. As if understanding him, Analiese nickered and lowered and raised her head. A smile crept up to his lips. "Huh... Probably just listening to the tone of my voice... But... I don't think that's the case... I think you actually understand..."

Neros reached the docks and used what little coin he had to get passage to the Divine Conclave.

The way these people handed ships were astonishing. Neros's mind was boggled, never mind the fact that he was dizzy and nauseated. He took in the smells of the sea, the sights of the mountains. He leaned too far over the side of the boat and began to slip. Before he actually fell over the ship, Neros slammed his feet into the woodwork of the boat and slid back down.

 _Maybe boats aren't for me..._ Neros thought, tightening his grip on the railing. His eyes moved back to the mountains as he leaned on the rails.

 _Oh, Creators..._ Neros's lips contorted into a small smile. _Please lend me the strength not to kill anyone there who calls me a knife-ear..._

* * *

I do hope you liked it. Um... If you have any suggestions, feel free to message me on Tumblr (shinonipslip). Thanks for reading! <3


	2. Chapter 2

Neros sighed deeply as he opened his eyes. He looked down and saw shackles around his wrists.

  _What in the..._

 A groan escaped his lips as pain shot from his left hand to his shoulder. He tried muffling his groan as much as possible, yet it didn't work.

As soon as the door slammed open, Neros glared at the person walking around him in a circle, hovering over him like a vulture. Her hair was short with a braid wrapped around her head. Two scars plastered her face, her eyes full of anger and despise.

"The Conclave is destroyed; everyone who attended is dead." She pointed a finger at Neros, accusing him. "Except for you."

Neros narrowed his eyes further, staying silent. If Neros wanted to talk, he would have done it already.

She lifted Neros's left hand, watching it glow green. "Explain this." She threw his hands back down in his lap.

"I... Can't...." He whispered, quickly growing both confused and irritated. If anyone could pull that off, it was Neros.

"What do you mean you can't?" She asked, snarling.

"I don't know what that is - or how it got there..." Neros continued to tell the truth, despite everything.

"You're lying!" The woman grabbed Neros's collar and began to rough him up.

"We need him, Cassandra!" Another voice stopped... Cassandra's movements.

The two women looked at each other, the situation tense, and Neros sitting right in the middle of it all. Damn, he could cut this tension with his bloody tongue.

"I don't know what's running through your minds, but I'm innocent..!" Neros claimed again. "Let me go, I only came to see what would happen with the Conclave... I wanted nothing else to do with your human disputes..."

"What do you remember? Before this all began?" The second woman asked. Her voice held a certain... accent, yet he couldn't name it.

"I... Remember... running. There was a... A woman..." Neros strained to remember what had transpired.

"A woman..?" The woman reiterated. Neros nodded.

"She reached out to me... But then..." He groaned. He couldn't remember anything since arriving at the Conclave.

"Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take him there." Cassandra dismissed Leliana.

Neros contemplated everything that happened in the last few minutes. _So.. The Divine Conclave was holding peace talks... three days ago. Elgar'nan..._ _Was I unconscious for three days?_

Cassandra's hands undoing Neros's shackles took him from his thoughts. "What did happen..?" He asked, barely audible.

"Just follow me. You'll see soon enough." She replied.

They made it outside, and the first thing that hit him was the bone chilling cold. He'd never been this cold, not even in Wycome's alienage. Well. This was the South for you.

"They call it the Breach. Magic tore a hole in the sky, leading to the Fade. The explosion from the Conclave shows as much." Cassandra explained.

Wait. "An explosion can do that..?" Neros wondered. He still couldn't wrap his mind around what was happening.

"This one did, and until it is closed, the whole world is in danger."

The Breach expanded, resulting in more pain shooting from Neros's left hand to his brain. He let out a painful shout as he fell to his knees, cradling his left hand as best he could while bound.

Through his groans, Neros looked up at Cassandra, who knelt in front of him. "Each time the Rift expands, your mark gets worse, and it is killing you."

"Wait... I've a few questions... What exactly is this..?" He held up his glowing hand. Each movement caused pain, but they registered as punches instead of the constant slicing he was feeling earlier.

"We do not know, yet there is a person ahead who may have answers." Cassandra responded, in earnest.

Neros tried to calm his racing nerves. "I can't guarantee what might happen after, but get me to that thing and I'll attempt to close it..."

This... thing clearly threatened all of man-kind, even all the way in Tevinter, yet he was more concerned about his clan. They must have thought Neros was dead, died in the explosion.

"Come. Follow me." Cassandra cut off his bonds. He wrung his wrists. Ugh... If only these blasted shem understood not to touch his hands. At all.

"Few things, first..." He started. Cassandra stopped to listen. "Where are you taking me, and where's the bow I came here with..?" He wondered. That bow was given to him as soon as him and Ry'Lanna lived with the clan.

"I am not sure where your bow is. Probably at the forward camp. We will get there soon enough. You will not need it."

"No, but I would like to have a piece of home with me..." Neros argued. He was beginning to like her less and less.

"You will not need it." She reiterated, this time more forceful, like she was getting angry.

Neros sighed, defeated. He had no intent in fighting with her.

He was beyond irritated, at the moment, and wanted nothing more than to lay down and nap. Or go back home to show he wasn't dead. By the grace of Sylaise, he was the most wanted criminal in Thedas, he couldn't go home. The shipmates would kill him on sight. No, he was stuck here. He had to prove he wasn't guilty.

Neros frowned as he saw the dead bodies laying about. "Where are all your... living soldiers..?" He had to ask.

"They are at the forward camp. Or fighting. We are on our own for now."

"Oh, wonderful..." Neros muttered, rolling his eyes. Here he was, stuck with a woman, who wanted to kill him. Huh... What luck...

He ran ahead with Cassandra following him closely. Another jolt of this blasted mark shot through his arm again. Holding his hand close, he fell to his knees again, biting his lip to keep his groans down to a minimum.

Cassandra lifted him up, and she saw the fear in his eyes. "The pulses are coming stronger, now." She lightly slapped his shoulders.

He sighed as he started running again. "How did I survive the blast..?" Neros asked, wanting answers. All he remembered was arriving at the Conclave, then... Nothing.

"Our soldiers saw you fall out of a rift. They saw a woman behind you, though no one knows who she was. Some are saying it was Andraste leading you out of the Fade."

_Oh, great... That's all I needed... Divine bad luck..._

As they ran across the bridge, a piece of stone from the Breach hit the bridge, causing it to explode with them still on it.

Neros grunted as his right side hit a piece of the bridge. The right side of his face was against the ice. He groaned as he looked up to see a pair of shades approaching him. Cassandra was instantly on her feet, sword at the ready. He could feel something different about her. It didn't sit well with Neros.

"Stay behind me!" She ran in, like the warrior princess she was. He could tell, from the accent alone, that Cassandra was from Nevarra.

Pushing himself up with his left hand to distance himself from the demon, he looked around, desperately trying to find any weapon. He looked to his left, saw a... conveniently placed bow and got into position.

He stood a _grand total_ of three whole feet away from the Shade as they began to attack. The bow was looser than he liked, it hurt his right wrist a bit more, and when he pulled the string back more to get more power out of it, his right wrist seized up.

"Gah..! Fuck..!" He released the arrow, and watched as it went astray into the demon Cassandra was fighting. She looked back at Neros and saw him backing up away from the demon, flinging his right hand like it was on fire. Normally, he's a great shot, but this wasn't his bow. His normal bow was enchanted by Keeper Deshanna, for she knew of his wrist. It was light enough for his wrist, but strong enough to kill anything within a 200 yard radius.

 _Screw it..._ Neros picked up the bow again and aimed it at the demon closest to him. _If my wrist acts up, I'll fix it later._

He shouted as he released the arrow. The arrow went directly through the Shade's skull. Or... Directly through it. Neros was never certain about demons.

He exhaled, half in pain, half in anger. "It's over..."

"Drop your weapon. Now." Cassandra ordered him.

"If you're going to lead me through a demon infested valley, you need to trust me..." Neros glared at Cassandra.

Cassandra basically emanated disapproval at this point. They were not getting along.

"And why should I trust you?" She snarled.

"Because my life is on the line..." He responded.

Cassandra sighed, finally seeing the point Neros was making. "Alright... I cannot protect you." She put her sword away. "And I cannot expect you to be defenseless." She turned and began to walk off. Neros watched her. There was something really different about her, and he just couldn't name it... She looked over her shoulder. "I should remember you did not attempt to run away."

Neros brushed his hair out of his eyes as they began to run to the forward camp once more.

"Here. Take these. Maker knows what we will face." Cassandra handed Neros some potions. "Also... What's wrong with your wrist? That... Shot earlier. It was like that was not usual." She wondered, completely innocent.

Neros saw no problem in telling Cassandra. "When I was younger, I got in a scrap with a few of the older elves back home... Mind you this is before my sister and I found the clan..."

"You are not really Dalish?" She wondered as they began to walk again.

"Not really... My sister and I came from Wycome's alienage... My parents died when I was younger, leaving me to keep my younger sister safe... Anyway... After I got in a scrap, I fell and cut my arm pretty badly on a nail that hadn't been cleaned up... Took a month to heal, and it didn't heal properly..."

"Who helped?" Cassandra asked again.

"Chantry sisters coming through the alienage saw me bleeding, cleaned me up, and wrapped my arm... Thing is, my arm never properly healed and the muscle in my arm was torn... A month after my arm was healed, like, stopped bleeding, my sister and I left the town at night... We found the Dalish and quickly became part of the clan like we were part of it our whole lives... We got our vallaslin when we became of age, and lived among the clan like we lived there our whole lives..." He jumped over a rock. "The Keeper knew about my wrist and enchanted a bow specially made for me so I could hunt without my wrist killing me... My sister gave it to me on my next birthday..."

After a few moments of silence, Cassandra started talking again. "We are almost there. You can hear the fighting."

He tripped over a block of ice, but quickly regained his balance. "Who's fighting?" His voice rose after a distant explosion.

"You'll see soon. We are almost there." She shouted, making sure Neros heard her.

He could just barely see ahead. He saw demons attacking the forces. Drawing his bow, he began to attack, sniping one that was attacking the dwarf. They watched it disappear into nothing. The dwarf looked back and nodded thanks. Neros continued to shoot the demons down, while Cassandra sliced here and there, keeping the party safe, distracting the demons, making sure the demons' attention were on her.

Once the fight was done, another elf walked up, grabbing Neros's left hand. "Quickly! Before more come through!"

The elven... mage pushed his hand towards the rift, sealing it shut. Neros's mind went haywire. _Don't, for the love of all that is good, touch my hands._ Neros's glare was enough to send a message that the other elven man's approach was unwelcome.

Neros tugged his hand away from the mage. "Wh... What did you do..?" He wondered quietly. His mind screamed trouble about this man. It sent off warning signs that something was dangerously wrong with the man.

"I did nothing. The credit is yours." He gestured to Neros's left hand.

"You mean this..." Neros looked at his left hand, already despising it. He had one good hand left and it was turned to shit as soon as he left his clan.

"Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand." The mage started. "I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach's wake - and it seems I was correct." The elf was smug with the fact that he was correct. _Ugh..._

"Meaning it could also close the Breach itself." Cassandra looked at the mage elf.

"Possibly." He responded. He then looked at Neros. "It seems you hold the key to our salvation."

 _Ooh, wonderful. Make me feel more stressed, why don't you..?_ Neros thought.

"Good to know! Here I thought we'd be ass-deep in demons forever." The dwarf remarked.

The dwarf saw how irritated the dark haired elf was, but he couldn't resist making sarcastic remarks and jokes to lighten the mood. "Varric Tethras. Rogue, storyteller, and occasionally, unwelcome tag-a-long." He winked at Cassandra who made the most disgusted face as she possibly could. Neros stifled a laugh, making sure to keep his face stoic.

"Are you with the Chantry, or...?" Neros asked, completely unaware of what faction the dwarf was part of.

The mage elf laughed, like his question was a joke a child made. "Is that supposed to be a serious question?"

"Technically, I'm a prisoner, just like you." The dwarf responded.

"I brought you here to tell your story to the Divine. Clearly, that is no longer necessary." Cassandra argued.

"Yet," Varric started. "here I am. Lucky for you, considering current events."

 _Damn. She really liked arguing..._ Neros thought.

"That's... A nice crossbow you have there." Neros wasn't lying. He wouldn't mind having a crossbow instead of a bow, but they're heavier and jam if not cleaned every so often. With bows, it's easier. They're light and require little to no cleaning.

"Ah, isn't she..?" He looked at the end of the crossbow from over his shoulder. "Bianca and I have been through a lot together."

"You named your crossbow _Bianca_...?" Neros never named his weapons. He thought it was pointless to do so. What if they get broken? What then? Go up to a smithy and say; 'Hey, fix Pokey.'?

"Of course, and she'll be great help in the valley." Varric remained smiling at both Bianca and Neros.

"Absolutely not. Your help is appreciated, Varric, but-" Cassandra was cut off by Varric.

"Have you been in the valley, lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in command anymore. You need me." Varric called her... _Shit... A Seeker of Truth..? Ohh, crap..._ Neros was not in favourable company...

After a small moment of silence, Cassandra made yet another disgusted sound.

"My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions." Solas introduced himself. "I'm pleased to see you still live."

"He means," Varric clarified, clearly trying to keep the mood light. "'I kept that mark from killing you while you slept.'"

"You seem to know a great deal about it all..." Neros kept his voice steady, though he could tell Cassandra was getting frustrated. She already knew that Neros didn't raise his voice, and she clearly wanted him to shout, to get mad, to see what he was like when angry. However, Neros had neither motivation nor the need to yell.

"Solas is an apostate, well-versed in such matters." Cassandra told Neros.

"Technically, all mages are not apostates, Cassandra. My travels have allowed me to learn much of the Fade, far beyond the experience of any Circle mage. I came to offer whatever help I can give with the Breach. If it is not closed, we are all doomed, regardless of origin." Solas lectured. After all the lectures the older hunters gave Neros, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Commendable..." Neros nodded, rubbing his right wrist. It had begun to throb again.

"Merely a sensible one, although sense seems to be in short supply right now." Solas actually made a joke. "Cassandra, you should know. The Breach was created with magic I have not seen. Your prisoner is no mage. Indeed, I find it difficult to believe that any mage has such power." He turned to Cassandra.

"I understand. Come. We must get to the forward camp." Cassandra helped Solas and Varric over the gate that was sealed shut, leading down the bank.

"Well..." Varric sighed. "Bianca's excited."

"This way, down the bank. The road ahead is blocked." Cassandra instructed.

"We must move quickly." Solas said what was running through everyone's mind.

Neros ran over and hopped over the gate and ran ahead.

They took a left, heading across the river, hearing strange noises. Thinking they were noises coming from demons, they got ready to fight.

 _Hmph... Practice time..._ Neros thought. He needed to get used to this bow, since he didn't have his at the moment. It was probably being held at the forward camp. He could basically feel Cassandra keeping an eye on Neros, knowing his problem.

"I didn't tell you to garner pity, Cassandra..." Neros whispered, beside her once the fight was over.

"Would you rather your shot veer too close to an ally?" She asked as Neros looted the camp. Clearly, the people who were camping here were pilgrims or Chantry brothers and sisters, killed by demons, unable to protect themselves except with their Maker's blessing.

"My shot may be bad, at the moment, but as soon as I get my bow back, I assure you, I can snipe a demon 200 yards off..." Neros reminded her.

"Impressive." Varric complimented.

"You are Dalish, you clearly away from the rest of your clan. Did they send you here?" Solas asked.

"What do you know of the Dalish?" Neros had to ask.

"I have wandered many roads in my time," More warning bells screamed in Neros's head. "And crossed paths with your people on more than one occasion. But... You don't have the look of someone who is really from your clan. Are you... Fully Dalish, or...?" Solas didn't know how to ask the question, and Neros didn't blame him. It was difficult to explain.

Neros sighed. "Not really..."

"What do you mean not really?" Solas was too... Wanting... Would be the best word, for answers.

"Meaning... I lived in Wycome's alienage with my younger sister... We left and found the Dalish living near it, nursed me back to health, and took us under their wings... Lived with them ever since..."

"If they immediately took you and your sister into their care, why did they constantly attack for no reason?"

Neros's shoulders stiffened at the insult. His clan might have been a little rude at times, but they wouldn't attack without incentive.

"Can't you elves just play nice for once..?" Varric sighed.

"I'll just... Skip over that insult, Solas..." Neros grumbled.

"What insult?"

"Don't be stupid... I heard that insult. Saying my clan attacked for no reason... For more than ten years, I went with every party to the nearest town and traded without killing people or attacking. For more than ten years I was called to talk to every single hunter who got too close to our clan, talked to, not warned them to go away." Neros's voice was rising a little. "I can't say anything about what happened before we arrived at the clan, but I know for certain that no one was killed, neither human nor elf, while I was there..."

Solas sighed, beginning to get irritated. Neros couldn't help but feel some sort of accomplishment. Maybe he wasn't supposed to piss of the person sending off warning bells in his mind, but he was going to do it anyway. It's fun to piss people off on the job, especially now, since he was going home as soon as this blasted Breach was closed. He hid being amused with his usual stoic face, however, he rose his chin a little bit.

After a few paces, the Breach expanded a bit further. Neros stopped his running and grunted a bit, flinging his hand to try and alleviate some of the pain.

"Shit, are you alright?" Varric asked, concerned.

"I'm fine..." Neros kept a blank face, beginning to run again. "Don't worry about me..."

"You know, kid, you're impossible to read." Varric chuckled, pressing ahead.

Neros scoffed. "Really..? My sister reads me like a book..."

"Huh. I'll have to take you up on that. Wicked Grace when this is over?" He offered.

Neros shrugged. "Maybe one round..?"

"Sounds good." Varric nodded.

They headed up the stair case to get to the Breach.

"So, are you innocent?" Varric asked over an explosion.

"I don't remember what happened..." Neros admitted. The last thing he remembered was setting foot at the edge of the temple, then... Nothing.

"That'll get you every time. Should'a spun a story." He chuckled.

"That's what you would have done." Cassandra mentioned.

"It's more believable, and less prone to result in premature execution!" Varric countered, taking Bianca off his back. Once more they picked up a fight.

During the fight, Cassandra lifted some of the thoughts from her mind. "I hope Leliana made it through all this."

"She's resourceful, Seeker." Varric tried calming her down.

"We will see for ourselves at the forward camp. We're almost there." Solas reminded them.

The whole time, Neros's wrist felt like it was going to snap off at any moment. He really needed his bow. They reached another rift. Much to Neros's surprise, Solas wasn't as much of an ass. And by ass, Neros meant by grabbing his hand without permission. Much to Neros's surprise, they came across another rift. _How many had that been now..? Two..? Three..?_

"Another rift!" Cassandra shouted, concerned.

"We must seal it, quickly!" Solas more or less told Neros what he already knew.

 "They keep coming! Help us!" One of the soldiers cut a Wraith down.

 _Yeah, like I need to be told twice how to save the bloody world..._ Neros thought sourly. Damn, did he want to go home...

Once the demons were dead, Solas shouted, "Hurry! Use the mark!"

 _Ugh, I'm working on it!_ Neros's thoughts could be shouted and whatever was in the Breach could have heard him loud and clear.

"The rift is gone!" Cassandra shouted. "Open the gate!" Cassandra ordered the soldiers.

"Right away, Lady Cassandra!" One of them responded.

They walked into the forward camp, and almost instantly, Neros's eyes searched the camp for his bow. He spied it, walked over and grabbed it. He felt the Keeper's magicks flow through his hand, making it stronger, more able to withstand the shots. He took the other bow off, and put his back where it belonged.

"There... Right where it belongs..." Neros muttered.

"We are clear for the moment. Well done." Solas complimented Neros's mark.

"Whatever that thing on your hand is, it's useful." Varric called.

"I'd be concerned if it wasn't..." Neros responded, his face stoic, but his eyes twinkling with humour.

Cassandra made another disgusted noise.

The Chantry fellow looked angry, like he had been arguing with Leliana. "Ah, here they come." He said as if he were accusing the whole group for something they didn't do. Yet, anyway.

"You made it." Leliana looked relieved as Cassandra walked up. Neros sighed. _Great... More problems..._ That's all he needed next to his Divine bad luck... "Chancellor Roderick, this is-"

"I know who he is." Roderick interrupted Leliana, holding up a pale hand. She looked like she was about to stab her dagger through his hand. Neros couldn't blame her. He was already getting on Neros's nerves. "As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to take this criminal," He pointed at Neros, who, as a response, folded his arms stubbornly. "to Val Royeaux to face execution."

Cassandra couldn't have looked more disgusted as to what Roderick said. "'Order me'? You are a glorified clerk. A bureaucrat!" She shouted, fists at her side.

Roderick continued to argue. "And you are a thug, but a thug who supposedly serves the Chantry!"

"We serve the Most Holy, Chancellor," Leliana looked at Neros, who looked like he was going to march off to the Breach to close it himself without backup. "As you well know."

Roderick put his hands up, as if defending his... holiness or something. "Justinia is dead! We must elect her replacement, and obey her orders on the matter!"

Neros had to say something at this point. His irritation was bubbling too high for his comfort, especially since he was being talked about if he weren't there. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here." Neros's voice steadily got louder.

Roderick turned on him, his face red with anger, vein popping on the side of his head. "You shouldn't even be here!"

Neros was about to counter, feeling his face burn red when he felt Varric's hand go on his arm to hold him back. Varric must have dealt with these kind of people from before... Or Cassandra, by the sounds of it.

"Call a retreat, Seeker." Roderick's voice suddenly sounded like he was pleading. "Our position here is hopeless."

Neros was still really steamed. _How, in the Creator's name, could he go from really angry, to pleading in possibly point two seconds?!_

Cassandra continued to argue with this idiot. "We can stop this before it's too late." She tried to be the voice of reason, and it suited her, but it would be better if she, well... If she wasn't straight up terrifying.

"How?" Roderick wondered, completely in the dark. "You won't survive long enough to reach the temple, even with all your soldiers."

"We must get to the temple. It's the quickest route."

"But not the safest." Leliana interjected. She must have had some thoughts on the matter, everyone does. However, the majority of them probably consisted of 'Killing the elf who brought this on us in the first place and everything will be better!'. "Our forces can charge as a distraction while we go through the mountains."

Neros's eyes darted between the three arguing parties.

"We lost contact with an entire squad on that path!" Cassandra argued. "It's too risky!"

"Listen to me." Roderick finally said something. "Abandon this now, before more lives are lost."

Just as Leliana was about to say something, the Breach expanded once more, as did the mark on Neros's hand. He shut his eyes for a moment to try and regain his composure. Cassandra turned to Neros.

_Uh, oh..._

"How do you think we should proceed?" She asked him.

"Now you're asking me what I think...?" Neros was shocked. One minute, he was a prisoner, who people wanted to kill, murder in hopes of repairing nothing.

"You have the mark." Solas reminded him.

 _So, what?! That doesn't mean anything!_ Neros thought.

"And you are the one we must keep alive. Since we cannot agree on our own..." Cassandra made it sound like Neros was an inconvenience.

Neros looked at the Breach and contemplated the decision. If they charged, the soldiers would stand with them to ensure they got there, but scouts in the pass may be lost. If they took the mountain path, the soldiers would act as a distraction elsewhere. The problem would be addressed sooner, but there would be casualties. Ugh, this was why Neros didn't want to bother with this!

"Well?" Solas asked him dragging him out of his thoughts.

Neros's shoulders tensed. "I say we charge... I won't survive long enough for your _trial_... Whatever happens, happens now..."

Cassandra told the group to move on ahead. "Leliana, bring everyone left in the valley. Everyone."

Roderick cursed Cassandra behind her back, but she couldn't care less. "On your head, be the consequences, Seeker..."

* * *

_I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. I got really frustrated with this one, and started getting getting sarcastic (a grand total of..) I'll probably update it sometime next week :D_

_Again, I hope you enjoy <3_

 


	3. Chapter 3

They trudged up the mountain, and Neros lost feeling in his fingers. This place was freezing...

"Varric..." Neros whispered.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Aren't you... Y'know... Cold..?" He had to ask. Seriously, they were in the middle of the Frostbacks, between Orlais and Ferelden.

Varric was slightly confused at Neros's request for a moment, but caught on as soon as Neros's eyes lowered to Varric's exposed chest, looking over his shoulder, shivering as Neros tucked his hands under his arms.

Varric laughed at his concern. "You don't need to worry about me, kid. You're wrapped up in wool, how are you cold?"

"I've lived further up North where it was warmer... The South is... Freezing compared to where I'm from..." Neros shivered.

"I quite agree, kid." He nodded.

The party climbed uphill, feeling the snow crunch under their boots. Moving south, they found burning wreckage and dead soldiers.

The mark began to act up again as they approached another rift. There were a number of soldiers either dead, sleeping, or wounded. Neros counted how many skulls there were and counted twenty of them, but there could have been more.

"Be wary - another Fade rift." Solas mentioned to them.

They approached the rift and began to fight the demons, along with several other soldiers, one of which wore significantly better armour than the others. He clearly stood out, and Neros couldn't take his eye off him as he shot a wraith down in front of him. Huh... He's showing off again...

Within moments, they were able to defeat the first wave of demons. Having been given a moment to breathe, Neros dared a glance at the Breach.  _How am I supposed to close that...?_

Varric scoffed. "How many rifts are there?" Neros couldn't blame Varric's annoyance.

"We must seal it if we are to get past!" Solas shouted.

 _Man, these guys really like shouting..._ Neros sighed.

"Quickly, then!" Cassandra attacked another shade.

During the second wave, a Lesser Terror had begun to attack Neros. He dodged several attacks before he was forced to block one with his bow, leaving small scratches on his hands, arms and bow. His back was pushed against a side of a piece of a wall from the Chantry. He grunted and glared at the terror as he tried to push back, however his right wrist felt like it was going to snap.

"Varric..!" He pushed back as hard as he could.

Varric heard him and shot down the Lesser Terror. The Terror vanished, and Neros landed on the ground, holding his wrist. Cassandra hold out a hand to help Neros up. "Come on. You need to close the rift."

"Hmph... Good to know I'm a tool to be used..." Neros took her hand and pulled himself up. Walking up to the rift, he closed it.

"Sealed, as before." Solas walked up next to a shivering Neros. Sylaise, he hated the cold... "You are becoming quite proficient at this."

Varric walked up on Neros's right. "Let's hope it works on the big one." He looked up at the Breach. Neros agreed with him. He already had his doubts; Neros didn't need any more.

"Lady Cassandra, you managed to close the rift?" The soldier who stood out above the rest started. Hmm... "Well done."

Cassandra took a breath to catch her breath. "Do not congratulate me, Commander. This is the prisoner's doing." She pointed to Neros, who, quite honestly, couldn't tear his eyes away from this soldier.

"Is it?" The Commander looked at him with a stone-cold look. It, more or less, made Neros shrivel up inside. "I hope they're right about you. We've lost a lot of people getting you here."

"I can't promise anything, but I'll try my best..." Neros whispered.

"That's all we can ask." The Commander turned his attention to Cassandra. "The way to the temple should be clear. Leliana will try to meet you there."

Cassandra nodded, looking a bit relieved. "Then we'd best move quickly. Give us time, Commander."

The Commander began to walk off. "Maker watch over you -" Neros cringed a bit. Honestly, his religion was a bit confusing. He was born in Wycome where they worshiped the Maker, but he lived and grew up with elves who worshiped elven gods. "For all our sakes." He walked off, helping an injured soldier hobble away. Neros's eyes were on him as he turned away.

_Y'know... I might stay a while longer... Just for fun..._

* * *

_I am sooooo sorry this took forever and that it's incredibly short... and that the story's moving at the pace of a snail._


	4. Chapter 4

Neros did what he could to shake the cold off, but it wasn't working. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and pictured himself back home, wandering the forests, listening to the sounds of the bugs and the animals, smelling the fresh air. Just... Taking in everything around him. Being the only moving thing in an otherwise still and quiet forest. The sun peeking through the leaves in the middle of a hunt, the sounds of branches snapping under a foot.

Solas's voice brought him back to reality. "The Temple of Sacred Ashes."

"What's left of it..." Varric mumbled.

 _Wh... Was this the place where Andraste's ashes were found? The Hero of Ferelden found them, didn't she?_ Neros thought. _To have history at your fingertips... The thought of being the first ones here must have been exhilarating._

"That is where you walked out of the Fade and our soldiers found you." Cassandra helped Neros try to remember what happened. "They said a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was."

"Hmm..." Neros grumbled. "Think of all the history that was here..." He whispered. "It must have been exhilarating to be here when it was in its prime... Shartan led the elves against Ancient Tevinter... And Andraste called him 'Brother'... Shame the Chantry can't do that now..." Neros began to low-key bash the Chantry. He hated what they did to the elves in the Exalted Age; what happened was unforgivable and possibly irreparable.

"What are you gettin' at, kid?" Varric asked him. "Elves aren't-"

"I know that... Neither race is perfect... None of them are, no matter how loud they preach..." Neros admitted. He already knew this truth to mankind.

"What about the Qunari?" Solas asked.

"As long as they don't try to convert me, I'm fine with them... Besides... Woof..." Neros had always been blown away by Qunari. They were... just... huge... In both aspects...

Varric chuckled.

The party entered the temple. Neros looked around and saw multiple corpses and burning bodies.

"The Breach is a long way up..." Varric looked up at the green hole in the sky.

Behind the party, Leliana approached them with a handful of soldiers. "You're here! Thank the Maker."

Cassandra turned to Leliana as Neros looked up at the Breach, and saw into the Fade. He couldn't even begin to fathom just how much history was in the Fade.

"Leliana, have your men take up positions around the temple." Cassandra told her.

She nodded and walked away to give directions to her scouts.

Cassandra put a hand on Neros's shoulder to get his attention. "This is your chance to end this." She began. "Are you ready?"

 _No._ "I'm assuming you have a plan to get me up there..." Neros muttered, turning his attention back to the Breach.

"No." Solas answered. "This rift was the first and is the key. Seal it, and perhaps we seal the Breach."

"Then let's find a way down. And be careful." Cassandra ordered the group.

Leliana began to walk back and follow the party as they went to the Breach. Along the way, it was almost as if the Breach began to... talk... to the group.

"Now is the hour of our victory." An echoy voice stated. Neros stopped to listen. Something pulled at his memory. It seemed familiar, but he couldn't put a name on it. "Bring forth the sacrifice."

Cassandra was considerably confused. "What are we hearing?"

"At a guess;" Solas began. "The person who created the Breach."

Neros took cautious steps, feeling a sense of unease. He knew something was... What in the world happened to the lyrium?

"You know this stuff is red lyrium, Seeker." Varric spoke Neros's thoughts aloud.

"I see it, Varric." She responded.

"But what's it _doing here_?"

"Magic could have drawn on lyrium beneath the temple, corrupted it..." Solas looked at it, studying it.

Varric grunted. "It's evil. Whatever you do, don't touch it." He warned.

The group heard another set of a conversation from the Breach.

"Keep the sacrifice still." One voice ordered, as if there were more people there when this happened.

"Someone help me!" A female voice screamed for help, in a desperate attempt for someone to hear her.

"That is Divine Justinia's voice!" Cassandra shouted.

Neros looked at her. "You're certain..?" He asked.

"Yes." She held his icy glare.

Soon enough, the group reached the base of the explosion, now made into a pit with burnt bodies, which Neros was accused of killing. A massive statue to Andraste somehow stood intact in the dead centre of the pit, only Andraste was missing her head and the massive bowl she usually held.

Once the group approached the rift, the mark on Neros's hand flared as the Breach expanded a bit more, this time, leaving another echo for the group as a present. Neros could tell this wasn't going to end well.

"Someone help me!" Justinia's voice called out again.

"What's going on here?!" Neros's voice was loud and angry. Wait... What..?

Cassandra turned on an extremely confused looking elf, looking at the Breach, expecting an explanation. "That was your voice. Most Holy called out to you, but..."

A flash of white light blinded the surrounding people for a second. Once their vision cleared, they all saw Divine Justinia floating while being held in place by red energy, holding her around her arms. She still had wiggle room, but not enough to try and escape. A larger clouded figure in the shape of a man with... glowing red eyes loomed over Justinia. The group watched as Neros... Before the explosion, perhaps, entered the room.

"What's going on here?!" He demanded. Past Neros looked pissed.

"Run while you can!" Justinia pleaded. "Warn them!"

The ghostly image pointed at Neros. "We have an intruder. Slay the elf!"

After another flash of blinding white light, the ghostly images disappeared, leaving Neros feeling more confused and conflicted than ever.

Cassandra shouted at Neros. "You were there! Who attacked? And the Divine, is she..? Was this vision true!? What are we seeing?!" She demanded answers from Neros, answers he did not have.

"I don't remember...!" Neros's voice rose a bit more.

Solas tried to calm the two aggravated voices down. "Echoes of what happened here. The Fade bleeds into this place." He turned to Cassandra. "This rift is not sealed, but it is closed, albeit temporarily." He began listing off instructions. Orders, to Cassandra. "I believe, with the mark, the rift can be opened and then sealed properly and safely." He looked at the party. "However, opening the rift will likely attract attention from the other side."

 _Oohh, sounds ominous, Egg-man..._ Neros thought to himself.

He's always tried to make light of situations, no matter how difficult or tense it is. However, it never usually worked. Neros was too stoic for jokes, he found, but not enough for sarcasm. He always ended up laughing to himself, since he was so stoic, that people ended up taking his sarcastic remarks seriously.

Back home, the Keeper would always be in earshot, and would always roll her eyes and chuckle at one of his remarks.

"That means demons!" Cassandra warned. "Stand ready!"

Neros walked up to the rift, more or less terrified of getting close to it. He wanted nothing to do with this place...

While he walked up, the soldiers and archers got ready to attack once the rift was opened. They nodded his way. With a bit more effort, Neros opened the rift. As a present from the Fade, a Pride demon materialized from the other side.

Cassandra raised her sword as others drew their weapons. "Now!" She shouted to the archers.

The group began to attack the Pride demon.

Neros began to strafe, his right hand feeling a bit better, now holding a familiar bow. Jumping to complete a leaping shot, he landed next to Leliana, on his right knee, his back to her.

"Your right hand..." Neros could barely hear her.

He looked up. "What about it..?"

"It's weaker than your left, isn't it..?"

"Noticed that, just now, huh..?" He remained shooting at the demon.

"Possibly." She responded with a smile.

Neros allowed a grin to appear on his lips.

Cassandra shouted. "We must strip its defenses! Wear it down!"

Neros immediately raised his left hand to the rift to disrupt its connection to the Pride demon. As a result, the demon was momentarily stunned. _Now was the time to attack!_

"The demon is vulnerable - now!" Cassandra ordered the forces to attack as hard as they could, now that the demon was, as Cassandra said, vulnerable.

They managed to wear the demon down quite a bit, so much so that the demon's moves were slowing down. However, that just made it fight all the more. Shades fell from the rift.

"More coming through the rift!" Cassandra announced.

 _Ooohh, thanks, Seeker! I totally didn't realize that!_ Neros thought sarcastically.  _Aaaand, here comes the little shit..._

Once more, the demon regained its defenses.

"Cover me..." Neros whispered to Leliana, somehow hearing him. With another huge effort, Neros disrupted it. Beads of sweat were forming on his brow.

"Cold now, kid?" Varric called to him.

Neros smirked. "Nah, not really..." He responded.

Varric laughed as he shot another bolt at the demon.

It was a while longer before the demon was defeated and on its knee.

"Now!" Cassandra shouted at Neros, still looking terrifying. "Seal the rift!"

Neros put his bow away and pushed his hand towards the rift in a desperate attempt to close it. He could feel everyone watching both him and the Breach.

"Do it!" Cassandra's voice was distant, almost like Neros was losing consciousness, or he was that focused on this damned Breach.

With one last push, Neros did all he could to seal the Breach, or at least this rift. He knew it was successful, simply because everyone was blown back.

Neros, however, was knocked unconscious.

* * *

_I am so so so so so incredibly sorry! >.< pls forgive me _


	5. Chapter 5

Neros's mind spun. He saw Ry'Lanna. He saw his mother, his father. He saw the people kill his parents. He saw his arm get torn. He saw the Chantry sister help him. His sister was so concerned. Most of all, he remembered his mother's hugs. They always smelled like the little treats she baked for them. It always brought a smile to Neros's face. The images started to fade away. He tried grasping at them, but they evaded his grasp, no matter how fast he moved. Soon enough, his eyes opened a slit. Elgar'nan... He missed home. He was so terribly homesick, he didn't even notice the other elven woman watching his movements. Neros sat up, looking at his hands. He imagined the little treats he used to hold in both hands to be able to eat it. The treats were always so sweet.

"M..." The elven woman started. "My lord...?"

He looked up so sharply, startling the both of them.

"Oh! I-I just saw you sit up and thought you were just waking up, I swear!" She sounded terribly frightened.

Neros immediately pictured his younger sister, despite the fact that she looked nothing like Ry. The only similarity was that Ry always jumped when he snapped his head at her. Not planning to, of course, but it happened. "Don't worry about it. I only-"

The woman dropped to her knees. "I beg your forgiveness and your blessing." _What_? "I am but a humble servant." She stood. Neros was completely confused. "You are back in Haven, my lord." _I'm not a lord._ "They say you saved us. The Breach stopped growing, just like the mark on your hand." Neros had to look at his hand. When he did, the mark appeared, but no pain registered. _Huh..._ "It's all anyone has talked about for the last three days!"

_Ugh, another three days?! You've got to be frickin' kidding me!_

"So you're saying..." Neros was concerned as to what the others thought of him, now. He was shocked that he even cared. "They're happy with me...?” A small bit of him was elated that they weren’t mad, _if_ they weren’t mad.

"I-I'm only saying what I heard. I don't mean anything by it." She began to back up. "I'm sure Lady Cassandra will want to know you've wakened. She said 'at once'!" Her voice held panic.

"And where is she...?" He asked quietly, trying to calm her down. It seemed to have worked.

She responded calmly. "She said she was in the Chantry, with the Lord Chancellor. Please, ser, she said 'at once'!" She left the room, slightly calmer now than when she came in.

Neros stood in the middle of the room. He looted what the woman dropped. _Huh... Three pieces of elfroot and... Oh, wow... Royal elfroot...! Score...!_ He saw a piece of paper on the table. Leaning over the table, he read it.

_Vain hope: Someone better at this than me takes over before the survivor expires. Notes in case._

_\--Day One--_

_Clammy. Shallow breathing. Pulse over-fast. Not responsive. Pupils dilated. Mage says his scarring "mark" is thrumming with unknown magic._

_Wish we could station a Templar in here, just in case._

Neros put the paper in his pocket. Who knows? It might help him realize just how in critical condition he was for the past three days. Leaving the cabin, the first thing Neros saw was a line of soldiers making a path from the cabin into the heart of the village. Their arms were across their chest, Fereldan-style saluting. As Neros walked past the saluting soldiers and the gathering crowd following him, he overheard a few things.

"That's him...! That's the Herald of Andraste..." One man said. "They said when he came out of the Fade, Andraste herself was watching over him..."

 _Really? You honestly believe that?_ Neros was instantly annoyed.

"Hush!" A second woman hushed him. "We shouldn't disturb him...!"

"Why did Lady Cassandra have him in chains...? I thought Seekers knew everything....?" Man Number One wondered.

"It's complicated..." Woman Number Two told Man Number One. "We were all frightened after the explosion at the Conclave..."

"It wasn't complicated." Man Number One argued. "Andraste herself blessed him."

They turned their attention to him.

"Maker be with you." The man told Neros with a smile.

"Blessings upon you, Herald of Andraste." The woman bowed a bit.

Neros shivered slightly at the name. He was not the Herald of Andraste. Ignoring everyone else, he quickly made his way to the Chantry. He couldn't stand being called the "Herald of Andraste". _The hell was that?!_ The Herald of Andraste... An elf. The ones with the pointy ears. Him. Neros Lavellan. Herald of Andraste.

_What?!_

*           *           *

Neros walked into the Chantry, his heart in his throat. He felt sick, nervous, more like it. First, he'd been a prisoner, next, he was a hero among the people. His mind could barely keep up. He felt like taking a nap and hoping the problem would solve itself during his nap, hoping the world would stop spinning. He’d probably wake up wondering who he was, however.

As he neared the other end of the grand hall, noticing that it was empty of people, save the candles and scattered books and pieces of papers.

He neared the door leading to the room where Cassandra was waiting for him. He overheard their conversation, gently placing his ear against the door, his gloved fingertips tracing the woodwork.

"Have you gone completely mad?" Roderick's voice shouted. He was pissed. "He should be taken to Val Royeaux immediately, to be tried by whoever becomes Divine!"

"I do not believe he is guilty." Cassandra defended Neros.

"The elf failed, Seeker." Roderick continued to argue. "The Breach is still in the sky. For all you know, he intended it this way."

"I do not believe that." Cassandra continued to defend Neros. He had no idea why she would, however.

"That is not for you to decide. Your duty is to serve the Chantry!"

"My duty is to serve the principles on which the Chantry was founded, Chancellor." Cassandra paused. "As is yours."

Neros was done with eavesdropping. Action time. Leliana and Cassandra were arguing with Roderick behind a table with two maps on it, one of Ferelden and parts of the Free Marches and Rivain, and one of Orlais with parts of Tevinter and Nevarra. _Impressive._

"Chain him!" Roderick pointed at Neros, ordering the soldiers on either side of Neros. "I want him prepared for travel to the capital for trial."

Neros sent a glare at the soldier on his left that made him stop his movement and made him move back a few paces, a glare that said 'Touch me and you'll lose fingers...'

Cassandra ordered the guards. "Disregard that, and leave us." The soldiers left quickly, saluting Cassandra and happily leaving with all their fingers intact.

"You walk a dangerous line, Seeker." Roderick reminded her.

"The Breach is stable, but it is still a threat." Cassandra rolled her eyes, fed up with Roderick and his pointless arguments. "I will not ignore it."

"Allow me to guess..." Neros muttered, painfully obvious that he was irritated. "You need my help..."

"You have done plenty." Roderick looked at him. Neros responded with an icy glare. "Your actions will be taken into account by the new Divine."

"Have a care, Chancellor. The Breach is not the only threat we face."

"Someone was behind the explosion at the Conclave," Leliana spoke up, at last. "Someone Most Holy did not expect. Perhaps they died with the others - or have allies who yet live."

"I am a suspect?!" Roderick's frown increased if it were at all possible.

"You, and many others." Leliana clarified for him, tilting her chin up to point at him.

"But not the prisoner." Roderick returned the icy glare Neros was holding. Maybe this was why Neros didn't make much in the way of friends. What a funny word, ‘friend’. Back in the Clan, he made few friends, but they weren’t close. Neros was afraid to let _anyone_ close, save his sister.

"I heard the voices in the temple." Cassandra continued to put up with his antics. "The Divine called to him for help."

"So, his survival, that _thing_ on his hand - all a coincidence?"

"Providence." Cassandra adjusted her stance. "The Maker sent him to us in our darkest hour."

"Are you serious?!" Neros's temper was getting the better of him. "Five minutes ago, you wanted me dead and now I'm your saviour?!" He tried calming himself down. Cassandra saw that Neros dealt with a bad temper. Normally he's able to contain it, but right now, his mind was racing a thousand miles a minute. He couldn't keep up, and containing his temper was the least of his concerns, but instantly felt awful once the words left his lips.

"I was wrong. Perhaps I still am. I will not, however, pretend you were not exactly what we needed when we needed it." Cassandra's look softened a bit once he saw how awful Neros looked. He shouldn't have snapped, he knew that; he just reached his limit, was all. She drew from the table.

"The Breach remains and your mark is our only hope of closing it." Leliana reminded Neros of his main mission.

"This is not for you to decide." Roderick tried to stop any movements happening, but he was too late.

Cassandra came back and slammed a thick book on the table, and a cloud of dust and the air brushed nearby papers aside. Some fell on the floor. There were probably enough edicts in there to make Neros bleed from his eyes. There was a picture of an eye with a sword behind it, with what seemed to be a sun behind it all. Despite it was probably all stuff about the Maker, Neros couldn't help but be interested as to what was in the book.

"You know what this is, Chancellor?" Cassandra pointed to the book. "A writ from the Divine, granting us the authority to act. As of this moment, I declare the Inquisition reborn." Cassandra began to back Roderick up, poking him in the chest with a heavily gloved finger. Neros would have hated being on the receiving end of this. "We will close the Breach, we will find those responsible, and we will restore order with or without your approval."

Finally, Roderick frowned, almost snarled, and left, leaving an air of uncertainty.

"This is the Divine's directive;" Leliana started, "Rebuild the Inquisition of old. Find those who will stand against the chaos. We aren't ready. We have no leader, no numbers, and now, no Chantry support."

"But we have no choice:" Cassandra reminded her. "We must act now." Cassandra turned to face Neros. "With you at our side."

 _Wait, wait, wait..._ Neros snorted. "When I woke up, I certainly didn't picture this outcome..."

"Neither did we." Leliana agreed. Both were probably at the same level of fear, at the moment.

"Help us fix this before it's too late." Cassandra held out her hand.

Agreeing to this, knowing the threat the Breach caused, he shook her hand. Probably for the first time, Cassandra smiled.

Within moments, the advisors got to work. The book containing the Divine's directive was reread. The Commander, Cassandra, Leliana and the Lady Ambassador looked at each other with uncertainty as the Commander closed the book, sending another small blast of dust pushing the last of the stray papers onto the ground, twisting and turning before they tapped the stone floors.

Leliana had gotten to work in creating missives to send to the Templars and the Rebel Mages. She watches as one flew towards Redcliffe Castle, and the other towards Theirinfall Redoubt. In the village itself, Varric watched the crows fly off.

The Commander, gathering the Inquisition's rebirth edict, nailed the edict to the Chantry doors. Walking off, he passed Roderick, who held the look of worry. It quickly changed to a look of fury with the Seeker's heretic movement.

Cassandra began walking towards the Chantry, after checking up on the soldiers. Some are training and come to a halt when Cassandra passes. Some are fixing tools and weapons, creating some and mending others. Cassandra approached the Chantry, where the Commander, the Lady Ambassador, the Spymaster, and the Herald of Andraste are waiting for her. Neros couldn't help but crack the smallest of smiles as he heard the Inquisition's banner fall, its symbol clear as day.

Now, the Inquisition has been reborn.

_Let's get this party started._

* * *

_Alrighty! I updated my other story a few days ago, and I thought it would be best to update this one. Again, I apologize, but I'm having a hard time distributing time with school, home stuff, and my own personal writing. I hope you enjoy, however!_

 


	6. Chapter 6

Neros sighed as he left the tavern. He'd been cradling this last mug for a solid ten minutes, thinking as to what happened.

Paying for his drink, he left for the Chantry, but not before he talked to the people he'd be travelling with.

He saw Varric sitting in front of the fire, folding his arms and gazing into it, as if in deep thought.

"So, now that Cassandra's out of ear shot, you holding up alright?" Varric asked. "I mean, you go from being the most wanted criminal in Thedas to joining the armies of the faithful. Most people would have spread that out over more than one day."

Neros's eyebrows knit together. "So much has happened, I can barely keep up..."

"That makes two of us." The dwarf cocked his head to the side, seemingly agreeing with the elf. "'Bad for moral' would be an understatement." Varric's face held a playful grin. "I still can't believe anyone was in there and lived."

Neros completely agreed with him. "I still don't know if any of this is really happening..."

"If this is just the Maker winding up for a joke, there better be a damn good punch line. You might want to consider running at the first opportunity. I've written enough tragedies to know where this is going. Heroes are everywhere. I've seen that. But that hole in the sky? That's beyond heroes. We're going to need a miracle..." Varric walked back to his fire.

So, on the whole... Being a dwarf thing with Varric, he believes Neros was the hero Thedas needed. That didn't help with the fact that his nerves were racing. He wanted nothing to do with this thing. He found he was too serious to fool around with someone as jovial as Varric.

He nodded as he walked off. He felt like he could tell Varric more or less anything and he wouldn't really judge. Well, he would, but not too harshly.

"Varric...?" Neros stopped his steps. He had no idea what he was going to say. He felt as if there was bile in the back of his throat.

"Yeah, kid?" Varric looked up from the fire.

"You... uh..." He walked back slowly, swallowing that feeling. "You knew other elves, right...?"

"What's wrong, Ghost...?" Varric moved so Neros could sit next to him on the log Varric was sitting on. Varric could tell Neros had a ton on his mind.

Neros slowly walked over and sat. "You were in Kirkwall, yes...?"

"Yeah. Kind of a shit show." Varric chuckled.

Neros smirked. He'd heard the stories. He'd heard of the mage blowing up the Kirkwall Chantry, heard of the templars killing innocent mages, mages resorting to blood magic. Neros toyed with his gloves, pulling them back so that they stretched between his fingers. At the bottom of it all, Neros had no idea why he was talking to Varric about Kirkwall.

"What did you wanna know?" Varric pressed for continuation. Thankfully, this sent Neros out of the spiral in his mind.

"What were the elves like over there...?" Neros leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers together.

"You homesick, too?" Varric wondered. After a nod from Neros, Varric sighed and leaned back, stretching his legs. "The elves in the alienage were... distant, at best, seeing as no one really paid them any mind."

"Back in Wycome, my sister and I knew the alienage like the back of our hands..." The words flew naturally from Neros' lips. He hadn't intended to say that.  _Damn it, Neros!_

"Yeah, Chuckles said you weren't really Dalish, didn't he? And, you said you came from the alienage. What was Wycome's alienage like, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Eh... Probably five nights a week, someone got hurt... Wycome's alienage wasn't the best, but it had to be better than Kirkwall's alienage..."

"A little. Why did they get hurt?" Varric wondered.

Neros had to admit, it felt good talking about this. About home. "The humans in Wycome, rather, the poor and the drunks, who thought the elves in the alienage were beneath anyone's notice but theirs, would occasionally do midnight raids on any elf who was still outside after the sun went down... We were terrified of going outside... No matter the time..." Neros's light grey eyes gazed into the fire, his dark hair falling in his eyes. As a force of habit, Neros brushed the hair out of his vision.

"The Dalish elves living on Sundermount, just outside of Kirkwall were, uh... Quaint."

"They were wack, and you know it." Neros looked at Varric, grinning a bit. 

"Oh? You knew them?" Varric chuckled.

"Please, I was made Dalish as soon as I arrived at the clan... My fellow hunters often left to talk to the Sabrae clan... One time, when I was somewhat of a new hunter, they took me along and I met some of them... Seemed like nice people if you were one of _them_..." Neros shrugged.

"Did you meet Daisy?"

"Daisy...?" Neros wondered.  _Who...?_

"Oh - pff - Merrill. She was the First of her clan before she left."

"Yeah, I met her... I also met the Hero of Ferelden, too." Neros held a bit of pride in his voice. They were the same age, somewhat, when they met. Around... Fourteen? Fifteen? Neros thought her beautiful, however she clearly had eyes for her clanmate, Tamlen. Tamlen and him often went hunting together with Mahariel when they were over.

"You met the Hero of Ferelden?" Varric looked at him. "Isn't that something you should have said before anything else?"

Neros laughed a bit. "Yeah, I should have said something." Neros stood, dusting his hands on his pants. "Thanks, Varric."

He grinned. "No problem, kid."

Neros walked off to the Chantry. No doubt Cassandra wanted to speak with him. Neros felt better, just talking about home. Honestly, it helped. More than Neros wanted to admit.

Once he arrived at the Chantry, Cassandra appeared on his left.

_Aaaaand the weight was back..._

As they were walking to the war room, Neros looked at his left hand, studying it, looking at it as if the mark were still glowing.

"Does it trouble you?" Cassandra caught him looking at his hand.

"If it wasn't enough to close the Breach... What use is it...?" Neros felt awful as to how many lives were lost getting him to the Breach itself.

“You did everything we asked of you." Cassandra tried to bring up his spirits.

"And it still didn't work..." Neros looked at her, clenching his hand into a tight ball. He was clearly upset. More than anything, he wanted it gone.

"What's important is that your mark is now stable, as is the Breach. You've given us time, and Solas believes that a second attempt might succeed - provided the mark has more power. The same level of power used to open the Breach in the first place. That is not easy to come by." Cassandra's intense gaze was locked on Neros.

"What harm could there be in powering up something we barely understand...?" Neros's lips cracked into a grin.

She snorted. "Hold on to that sense of humour."

Neros and Cassandra entered the war room to come into contact with three other people. Leliana and Commander Cullen were two of them. The third one he had no idea who she was.

"You've met Commander Cullen, leader of the Inquisition's forces." Cassandra introduced them again.

"It was only for a moment on the field. I'm pleased you survived." Cullen's lips curved into a welcoming smile. Neros' face flushed, though he did what he could to keep it hidden. The candles helped a great deal.

Neros scoffed, his face as stoic as was possible with a flushed face. "As am I, to be perfectly honest. Though, I don't believe I'm... Worthy, would be the best word, to be alive."

Cullen smirked. "You'll get used to it. Eventually."

"This is Lady Josephine Montilyet, our ambassador and chief diplomat." Cassandra introduced him and Josephine.

" _Andaran atish'an_." Josephine spoke elven.

Neros's eyes lit up. "You speak elven?"

"You've just heard the entirety of it, I'm afraid." Josephine laughed a bit.

"And of course you know Sister Leliana." Cassandra re-introduced him and Leliana.

"My position here involves a degree of..." Leliana thought of the best word.

"She is our Spymaster." Cassandra finished.

"Yes, tactfully put, Cassandra."

Neros bit his lower lip in understanding, trying to come up with an answer. "That's an impressive bunch of titles..."

"I mentioned that your mark needs more power to close the Breach for good." Cassandra looked at Neros, bringing up the conversation from outside. He still didn't see the good side in this. He knew it was dangerous as it was, why were they trying to make it even more dangerous?

"Which means we must approach the rebel mages for help." Leliana argued.

"Bah, I still disagree." Cullen shook his head, resting his left hand on the pommel of his sword. "The Templars could serve just as well."

"We need power, Commander." Cassandra reminded him. "Enough magic poured into that mark-"

"Might destroy us all." Cullen argued. "Templars could suppress the Breach, weaken it so-" Leliana cut Cullen off.

"Pure speculation." Leliana told him.

"I was a templar." Cullen argued again. _Mythal... Will these guys stop arguing...?_ "I know what they're capable of..."

"Unfortunately," Josephine spoke up. "Neither group will even speak to us yet. The Chantry has denounced the Inquisition - and you, specifically." Josephine pointed the end of her quill to Neros.

"That didn't take long..." Neros snorted, rolling his eyes.  _An elf leading this Inquisition? It's almost like they're afraid of other cultures existing! And maybe, me being in the wrong place at the wrong time..._

"Shouldn't they be busy arguing over who's going to become the next Divine?" Cullen looked at Josephine, clearly uninterested.

"Some are calling you - a Dalish elf - the 'Herald of Andraste', and that frightens the Chantry." Josephine informed Neros. He knew this. He'd heard it before, and it didn't help that he didn't like the title. "The remaining clerics have declared it blasphemy," She continued. "And we heretics for harbouring you."

"Chancellor Roderick's doing - no doubt." Cassandra spoke up.

"It limits our options, so approaching the mages or the templars for help is currently out of the question." Josephine went back to writing a letter or something. "Oh, I was also wondering, since this will seem to be taking a toll on a lot of people, if you would like to... Oh, pff, I don't know... Perhaps write journal entries to try and work through any confusion?"

Neros felt a lump in his throat as he swallowed. He reached for the book Josephine held out and opened his mouth to speak. He was terrified of what it meant if he was actually called the "Herald of Andraste." He cleared his throat to try and fill the silence. "Just how am I this... Herald of Andraste...?" Neros asked. He was visibly terrified.

"People saw what you did at the temple, how you stopped the Breach from growing." Cassandra told him. "They have also heard about the woman seen in the rift when we first found you. They believe that was Andraste."

_Fantastic..._

"Even if we tried to stop that view from spreading-" Leliana began before she was cut off by Cassandra.

"Which we have not." Cassandra folded her arms over her chest, her eyes glued on Leliana.

Leliana glared back at Cassandra, then looked back at Neros, her gaze hard and icy cold. "The point is, everyone is talking about you."

Cullen spoke up. "It's quite the title, isn't it?" He grinned. "How do you feel about that?"

"I'm not sure how I should feel..." Neros folded his arms, putting the book under his right arm.

"The Chantry has decided that for you, it seems." He laughed a bit. Neros smirked at that. He envied how loose people could act.

"People are desperate for a sign of hope." Leliana started again. "For some, you're that sign."

"And to others," Josephine added. "A symbol of everything that's gone wrong."

Neros nodded. "So, going along with the whole... 'Neros Lavellan has divine bad luck'... People still see me as a beacon of hope...? After all that happened...? I mean, by the Creators... I was the most wanted criminal in Thedas, not three days ago... Now, I'm a sign of _hope_? Not of... Fear?" Neros's voice shook a bit. He didn't want this. At all. He wanted nothing to do here. He wanted to go home. He didn't ask for these mage problems, these templar abuses, he wanted none of this. 

"We will help as much as possible, Herald-" Cullen started. He instantly noticed Neros's shoulders tense at the sound of being called "Herald". He wasn't the Herald of Andraste. More like, the Herald of Doom. That would get people thinking twice about him. "But maybe Lady Josephine is right. Maybe that journal will help."

Neros sighed as he looked at the booklet in his hands. It was thick and leather bound. Small scratches were on the cover, but that bothered Neros none. The inside pages were thick and lined. "So..." Neros started, and all eyes were on him. "If I wasn't with the Inquisition..."

"Eh, let's be honest," Cullen dragged a hand through his blonde curls. "They would have censured us no matter what."

"And you not being here isn't an option." Cassandra reminded him.

Neros grinned, trying to have some fun. "So, even if I was a shit Herald...? I'd still be here...?"

"What do you mean?" Cassandra asked as the others chuckled.

"Meaning, I didn't do my job as a Herald..." He explained. The joke was wasted. Rather, his sarcastic remark was.

"There is something you can do, however." Leliana's words were lighter. Not as scary. "A Chantry cleric, by the name of Mother Giselle, has asked to speak to you." She laced her fingers in front of her. "She is not far, and knows those involved far better than I. Her assistance could be invaluable."

Neros didn't think of the consequences. _Someone who asked to speak to me? Either it's a great lead, or someone really wants to talk to me_. "I'll see what she has to say..." Neros shrugged, the leather-bound journal at his left side.

"You'll find her in the Hinterlands, tending to the wounded, near Redcliffe." Leliana informed Neros.

"Look for other opportunities to expand the Inquisition's influence while you're out there." Cullen told him, though it was more an order than anything else.

Josephine turned to Neros. "We need agents to extend our reach beyond this valley, and you're better suited than anyone to recruit them." She told him, pointing to him with the tip of her pen once more.

"In the meantime," Cassandra walked up, drawing attention. "Let's think of other options. I won't leave this all to the Herald."

Neros shuddered at the idea of leading a whole army. Sighing, he left the war room. Maybe he needed another drink before he left for the Hinterlands. He headed for the tavern for one last drink, however the moment he changed his footwork, Cassandra pulled him by the collar towards the stables. Varric caught Neros struggling against Cassandra's strength and began to laugh. Neros sent a look towards Varric, pleading him to help, however Varric shook his head.

"Suffer, kid." He laughed.

"Ugh..." Neros rolled his eyes.

"You're coming too, Varric." Cassandra ended his laughter.

Neros's face contorted into a smug grin and maintained it, regardless of the fact that Neros was being tugged along.

"Varric, get Solas. We are going to the Hinterlands." Cassandra ordered Varric.

Neros chuckled a bit. "Suffer, little man..."

Varric shook his head as he passed Neros and Cassandra, still grinning. "You're learning too much, little elf."

Neros's grin widened. "Oh, not enough, Varric. I haven't learned enough..."

Cassandra made a grunt and continued to drag Neros to the stable.

"Cassandra..." Neros began to complain. "We don't have any horses..."

"That is why we will have to go to the Hinterlands and see what we can do." Cassandra ignored his whining.

Neros tugged himself out of Cassandra's grip. "I think I can walk by myself, Cassandra..." Neros whispered, his jaw setting.

_By the Creators..._ Neros sighed. _This was going to be one long mission..._

* * *

_sorry for the delay! I hope you like it!_

 


	7. Chapter 7

_Day 32 – Entry 1_

_The Lady Ambassador told me – suggested – that I record my feelings or whatever to help me… how did she so eloquently put it…? Calm down, reorganize my thoughts? She’s nice, I suppose, for an Antivan. Or Orlesian. Or whatever._

_There are too many places to remember, and there are too many people watching my every move. I don’t like this._

_It feels as thought I’m back at square one, like, I’m back in shackles beneath the Chantry – a suspect, the only suspect in killing the Divine. Like… I’m feeling guilty for something I didn’t do. They don’t think I’m guilty though… They think I’m touched by Andraste, or something. I don’t think I’m touched. Divine bad luck or something._

_Honestly, I still believe I’m the one who killed the Divine. Like the Seeker said; everyone who attended is dead. Except for me. Who’s to say I’m not innocent?_

_Neros Lavellan_

*           *           *

Neros let out a sigh as he allowed the ink to dry. He didn’t normally write like this… Who could read bloody minds?

He drummed his fingers on his leg. He’d had to thank Varric later for the ink.

It was a bit colder than what he liked, but still better than Haven. Neros liked the snow, but that was as far as it went. Looking at it was nice enough for him. There was no way he was going to be face-planting in it, however. Well, unless someone paid him to do so. If they got snow further up north, it was brown with mud within the hour. There wasn't enough snow for the younger elves back home to actually enjoy it. Despite how cold it was, he'd still take the cold over the heat. What are you going to do if you got too hot and you're already stripped down to your breeches? Rip your skin off? No, Neros preferred the chill of the night, the slight nip in the air. 

He agreed to take the first watch, forcing his yawns to a minimum. _This might have been a mistake._

Neros forced his mind to relax after the day’s activities, feeling as though he’d been both physically and mentally drained. He much preferred to do this on his own, without a group and… people.

He dragged his fingers through his hair, pushing it from his eyes. Sitting on the grass, he tugged his legs up close, inhaling the night air deeply. It smelled like winter, brisk and cool, and made you want to move to stay warm. Or have someone else hold you to keep you warm. He could hear Gaelyn complaining from here about the cold. Gaelyn hated the cold, and not because his hair matched snow. 

They’ve managed to get the horsemaster’s cooperation, granted they had to fight a few wolves, but who hasn’t? Neros felt nothing but sympathy for the wolves after learning they were being controlled by a lessor terror.

Neros tore a page out of the book and picked his pen back up, deciding to write a letter to Ry’Lanna. He got as far as her name and trailed off, thinking about the last time he saw Gaelyn, Athetriel, Ry’Lanna and himself together in a small group just outside of the clan.

He remembered looking up at the stars in an opening with his friends and sister. He remembered Gaelyn shamelessly flirting with Ry’Lanna, and Ry’s face turning as red as a tomato. He remembered the way Athetriel’s eyes lit up when she talked about the stories the Keeper told her. He also remembered the way her words fell flat and stoic when she broached the topic of her younger brother’s death.

 _“It happened before you and your sister came to the clan, so there was nothing you could have done.”_ Athetriel’s voice held a hint of an Antivan accent, layered with poison for the people who killed him. She had been sent here when she was a small child, her first clan in Antiva already having a First and a Second. Since Clan Lavellan needed one, they sent Athetriel to Clan Lavellan. Then came Ry’Lanna, the clan’s Second.

_“Hey, Athetriel, we came here to drink and have a good time. Not to worry about the past.” Gaelyn’s smile was contagious, spreading to Ry’Lanna, and even to the dreary Athetriel. Neros caught a bit of a grin before it turned to a full-fledged smile. Gaelyn passed the bottle of wine to Athetriel._

_“Aren’t you supposed to be going to the Divine Conclave tomorrow?” Gaelyn asked Neros. His hand was already firmly wrapped around the neck of the bottle._

_“Yep.” Neros answered, bringing the bottle to his lips. He felt it burn as it trickled down his throat._

_“Should you be drinking?” Gaelyn asked again, his voice carrying his signature grin. There was always something mischievous about that grin of his._

_“Nope.” Neros licked his lips, getting the last of the wine from his lips. He knew the Keeper wasn’t going to be happy with them drinking wine from the humans, but it was a quick way to pass the time._

_“Then, why are you?” Ry asked her brother._

_“I honestly don’t want to do this divine thing, but the Keeper says I’m best fit for sneaking and spying. I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not, though…” Neros sighed._

_“Absolutely not.” Gaelyn’s voice still held that stupid grin of his. “I’m the best sneak around, ask anyone!!” He shouted. His voice echoed into the wilderness, causing more than a few birds to leave._

_“You monster, you scared the birds…” Ry pouted._

_“Birds! Come back!” Gaelyn stood and began running around the trees. “Let me love you!!”_

Neros smirked at the memory. He inhaled the scent of the area, taking in a big breath of wet dog and garbage.

Gagging shortly thereafter, he did what he could to get rid of the foul stench of the area. Wycome was much more clear.

He missed the creaking of the aravels, the sounds of the halla. _Sometimes_ he missed hanging out with Gaelyn.

Varric let out a tired groan as he sat up a bit. “Everything okay, kid…?” Varric’s voice snapped him out of his reverie.

“Everything’s fine, Varric… Go back to sleep…” He kept his voice quiet, listening to the sounds of the owls, the crickets, and the snaps of the fire. Loosing himself in this nature made it seem almost bearable. Neros attempted to reassure himself once more. “Everything… Will be fine…”

* * *

_i tried. the next few chapters are gonna be a bit wild, and i do apologize, but there are things i want to get to. i hope you liked it, though!_

 


	8. Chapter 8

“Your kind killed the most holy!” A voice shouted, accusing the other of killing the Divine. Neros resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He wondered if all these people cared about was fighting, accusing one another of a crime the other couldn’t possibly have committed.

Sister Nightingale watched as the elf turned and sent a sideways glare at the mages and templars in front of the Chantry.

“Lies! Your _kind_ let her die!” The mage poked back at the man who could easily kill him, his grip tightening on the staff’s grip itself. One swift strike, that’s all it would take.

And the templar saw that opening as he began to draw that metal stick he called a sword. “Shut your mouth, mage!” The templar’s actions were halted as Cullen stepped in, pushing the templar’s sword back into it’s scabbard.

“Enough!” Cullen’s voice boomed, even into Leliana’s tent. It willed Neros’ body to turn and face him. He could hear the stifled giggle of the Left Hand behind him. Looking at her, confused, Sister Leliana looked as if she hadn’t done anything.

 _I’m losing my mind…_ Neros shook his head, grey eyes turning back to the man who practically glowed in the setting sun.

“Knight-Commander!” The templar protested, setting his jaw.

“That is not my title –” He turned and pointed at the templar. “We are _not_ templars any longer. We are _all_ part of the Inquisition.” He turned his point to the mage, who held a smug grin, only to have it wiped off when the Commander turned his anger to him.

Shaking his head once more, Neros watched as Chancellor Roderick move up slowly behind the slowly dispersing crowd. He didn’t bother to listen as to what the man had to say, and nor did he care.

He walked off, shoving his way past a few irate mages. Neros had it stuck in his mind that if he didn’t get to Val Royeaux soon, they’d slander his name further as well as the good people in the Inquisition.

The voices outside were muffled as Neros slowly halted his steps to the War Room, Lady Josephine from her office peering at him, curious.

What if all these people died because he couldn’t do his job? He joked about being a shit herald earlier, but what if that’s what he really is? He didn’t know whether to bend the knee to placate the masses and allow them to have the justice they want, to run away and hide back home, or to do what Lady Cassandra wanted him to do.

Forcing his eyes shut, Neros tried to calm his nerves. It hardly worked recently, but he did what he could. He tried to block out the remainder of the noises from outside, the angry shouts, the cries of despair, and the verses from the Chant of Light. It wasn’t easy, not by a long shot, but he tried to think of what Ry’Lanna would do in this situation.

Unable to calm himself, he gestured to Lady Josephine, telling her that he’d wait in the War Room for them.

It wasn’t long until the Commander reached the room, followed by the Lady Spymaster.

“Maker’s breath, those people…” Cullen exhaled as deeply as possible, blowing a few stray scraps of paper onto the floor. He dragged a hair through his curls, his hair catching the light perfectly for a lump in Neros’ throat to form, his posture unable to help matters.

He stared, longer than he should have, at their Commander. Neros heard Leliana’s signal that he should stop this staring, a “catch” in her throat, to be sure.

 _No. There’s no way – nope._ Neros tried to convince himself. He nodded a quick thanks at Leliana, who was completely unable to hide her smirk this time.

“Having the Herald address the clerics is not a terrible idea,” Josephine began the discussion. Having to go to Val Royeaux was something Neros didn’t want to do, but it had to be done.

“You can’t be serious.” Cullen looked at their Ambassador, brows stringing together in frustration. It was clear that neither Cullen nor Neros wanted to deal with this.

“Mother Giselle isn’t wrong: At the moment, the Chantry’s only strength is that they are united in opinion.”

Cullen let out another frustrated sigh, scratching the back of his head and turning away from Josephine.

“And we should ignore the danger to the Herald?” Leliana voiced her concern.

 _Hello? I’m right here? You can’t use my name?_ Neros bit his lip to avoid shouting. He hated this. Them, having a discussion about Neros, while he was in the room made him feel like if he just took Cassandra, Varric, and Solas with him to Val Royeaux with out them knowing, discuss whatever it is they wanted to discuss, and come back only to find that these three were still arguing about the whole situation.

“Let’s ask him.” Josephine turned her attention to Neros.

_Oh. Well, maybe that was a bit of an over-reaction…_

“This might not even solve any problems…” Neros admitted. “It might add to them…”

“I agree.” Cullen finally spoke up.

“If that’s the case, I will go with him.” Cassandra took a step toward the table. “Mother Giselle said she could provide up names? Use them.”

“But why?” Leliana challenged Cassandra. “This is nothing but a-”

“What choice to we have, Leliana?” Cassandra let out an exasperated sigh, already tired of the same situation Neros didn’t want to deal with. “Right now we can’t approach anyone for help with the Breach,” She looked at Cullen, whose eyes were watching Neros and for his reaction. “Use what influence we have to call the clerics together. Once they are ready, we will see this through.”

\- - -

Neros let out a deep sigh as they finally left Orlais. He hated every moment of it. _Getting called rabbit, who the hell wants to be called rabbit?! I don’t belong to any of them!_

“Cuddles, you look pissed.” Varric had begun to call Neros a complete counterpart to what he was. “Want to share?”

“I’m not a rabbit…” Was all he allowed himself to grumble out. Any more and he’d regret it.

Neros heard the small snort of a laugh that Varric was trying to hold back. Maybe he was being petty, maybe he was being selfish, he didn’t care. Neros was called that almost constantly back in Wycome, and he thought he was finished with that when he left with Ry to find the Dalish.

 _Bah! It’s in the past._ Neros’ right hand moved the bag he carried at his side. He thought about writing another letter to the clan once they got back to Haven, maybe telling Gaelyn to leave his stuff alone until after he got back home.

“Did you really think that the Conclave had a chance of making peace, Seeker?” Varric tossed up a question for Cassandra. He was expecting silence from her, but Cassandra felt obliged to answer.

“You do not?” A question for a question. Neros remembered when he did that with the keeper back home. It irritated her to no end, but Neros did it anyway.

“What was the Divine’s plan?” Varric continued on his line of questioning. “To bring everyone together and hope really hard that they would all get along?”

“Most Holy did not confide her plan to me.” Cassandra answered. He felt no love for the Divine, aside from feeling guilty about being the smallest possibility that he might have been the one who killed her, but he knew that Cassandra was holding it together after her loss. “Perhaps she thought they were tired of death and conflict.”

“Oh, when has that ever been true? For Templars and Mages.” Varric was just as frustrated as Neros was with this whole state of affairs.

“I will not mock a dead woman, Varric. She did what she could and that is more than most.” Cassandra quickly built her walls back up, making sure to keep her vulnerabilities hidden.

 _So…_ Neros bent his head back, aiming to crack his neck. Feeling that satisfying crack, he didn’t have it in him to look back down from the sky. Aside from that bit of green in it from the Breach, he never really considered how cluttered the sky was in Orlais, or at least this far south. Back home, the skies were almost always clear. A cloud here, a cloud there, but that was it. The air was cleaner, too. He couldn’t wait to get back to Haven, away from these people. He also wanted to talk to the two, new people they had just recruited into their merry band if misfits. Lady Vivienne was kind, yes, but Neros didn’t want to be getting on her bad side, either. What would happen to him, then? _Also… For this Sera person…_ Neros frowned as he tried to recall their meeting, only to have it pass by in yet another blur.

The minutes passed into hours and they were finally back in Haven. Neros never thought he’d be grateful for snow, of all things. Trudging back to his cabin, he felt the thud of his pack smack the floor. Tearing off his quiver and his bow, he figured the report could wait until morning. Or until Cassandra tugged him to the Chantry to report everything.

“Herald,” Cassandra made sure to drag Neros to something he hardly wanted to do.

“Speak of the devil…” Neros grumbled, relenting to her firm grip, only to hear another one of her famous disgusted noises.

The walk to the Chantry was tense. Cassandra was focused on what the Lord Seeker had said, and it very clearly troubled her.

“It’s good you’ve returned,” Lady Josephine appeared from behind a wall. She must have been talking to a merchant, or the like. “We heard of your encounter.”

“You heard?” Cassandra seemed to have forgotten that she had told one of Leliana’s spies that they would be delayed.

In front of Neros and Cassandra, Leliana and Cullen approached. “My agents in the city sent word, of course.” Leliana walked with an air of confidence that almost inspired fear. Almost.

Cullen folded his arms, deeply sighing and already irritated. “It’s a shame the Templars abandoned their senses, as well as the Capitol.” Hazel eyes peered into stormy grey ones, forcing Neros to look away before he made a fool of himself. It wasn’t all that hard, really.

“At least we know how to approach the mages and templars, now…” Neros pushed his way forward to the war room, the group following him. He found the Chantry too stuffy, suffocating. It was too small for him. The cabin they had stationed him in was far too small, as well, but a fat lot of good it’ll do now to complain.

“Do we?” Cassandra spoke up, her voice still full of confusion and uncertainty. “Lord Seeker Lucius is not the man I remember.”

In front of the group, Leliana spoke up, loud enough to be heard over the gusts of wind that blew into the Chantry. “True. He has taken the Order somewhere, but to do what?” She shook her head. “My reports have been… Very odd.”

Neros watched the group talk amongst themselves. “We must look into it.” Cullen’s voice held that perfect tone to Neros’ sensitive ears. “I’m certain not everyone in the Order will support the Lord Seeker.”

“Or the Herald could simply go to meet the mages in Redcliffe, instead.” Josephine offered.

_Simply… Nothing is simple, not in this world. This isn’t going to go over smoothly, if I go with the mages or the templars. It doesn’t matter, in the end. Someone’s going to be mad with me at the end of the day._

“You think the Mage Rebellion is more united? It could be ten times worse!” Cullen opposed her suggestion. _Of course, he would. He’s a templar!_

“Or, you could stop bickering and make a decision…” Neros was quickly getting frustrated with this whole Mage-Templar thing. He was more sympathetic to the mages, but only because his closest friends were mages. He knew very little Templars, and those he did know were murderers. In the end, Neros was torn. Mages supported freedom, as would Neros, but did they have to start killing hundreds to prove their freedom? Did they have to start using blood magic the moment they attained the very thing they’ve been looking for? The templars, then staunch protectors, respected by the people, now claimed that they’re no longer part of the Chantry, and are now just as bad as the Mages. There was no winning. If there were some way to get them to _respect_ each other, maybe none of this would have happened!

“I agree.” Cassandra’s voice tugged him out of the internal war Neros had been having with himself.

“We shouldn’t discount Redcliffe.” Josephine stood her ground. “The mages may be worth the risk.”

“They are powerful, Ambassador, but more desperate than you realise.” Cassandra informed her.

“So it’ll be dangerous… I’ve been in danger even before I stepped out of the Fade…” Neros’ snark was poking through again. He wasn’t proud of being such a smart-ass, but he found that if he hid behind humour or stoic reactions, no one would figure out how insecure he really was.

“If some among the rebel mages were responsible for what happened at the Conclave…” Cassandra was thinking things over.

“The same could be said about the Templars.” Josephine countered. It was becoming clear, however slowly, that Josephine supported the mages. Neros knew Leliana supported them.

Neros could be completely wrong about Josephine, however.

“True enough.” Cullen took a small step forward. “Right now, I’m not certain we have enough influence to approach the Order safely.” He expressed his concerns.

“Then the Inquisition needs agents in more places.” Cassandra looked at Neros. “That’s something you can help with.”

_As if I wasn’t help already._

“In the meantime, we should consider other options.” Josephine finished before she walked off. Cullen and Cassandra followed her, going off to do their own things.

Neros let out a tired sigh, dragging his right hand through his hair, his left on his hip. He was so done. He was tired, sore, and he wanted a nice, quiet drink.

Leliana, however, remained behind. “There is one other matter.”

_Oh, boy, here it comes…_

“Several months ago, the Grey Wardens of Ferelden vanished. I sent word to those in Orlais, but they have also disappeared. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t even consider they were even remotely involved in all this, but the timing is… curious.” Leliana wouldn’t maintain eye contact with Neros. She must have been overly nervous about this issue.

Neros saw where she was coming from. “That does sound odd, I agree…”

“The others have disregarded my suspicion, but I cannot ignore it. Two days ago, my agents in the Hinterlands heard news of a Grey Warden by the name of Blackwall. If you have the opportunity, please seek him out. Perhaps he can put my mind at ease.” Neros could see how frustrated she was. Her hands were clenched into fists, shaking and irritated.

“’nd if he can’t…?” Neros’ exhaustion was beginning to take its toll.

“Then there may be more going on than we thought.” Leliana left with an ominous cliff-hanger.

Neros trudged back to his cabin. Still finding it incredibly small, he didn’t see anything better in the camp. There was little he could do about this.

He dug through his pack, searching for that leather journal, as well as the quill he stole from Varric. _Yuck, stole is such an ugly word. Let’s say… Permanently borrowed._ As corny as it was, Neros found himself smirking at it regardless.

*          *          *

 

_Day 35 – Entry 2_

_New team-mates today. Said one was Sera and the other Vivienne. Sera’s a Red Jenny. I think, back in Wycome, I met one. He was really funny before the guards ran him off. Met Sera in Val Royeaux. I wonder what other places she’s been to? She knew instantly that I wasn’t really “full” Dalish, but that I wasn’t really an alienage elf either. I don’t know; is that common for elves?_

_As for Lady Vivienne… She’s the type of person I wouldn’t dream to cross. She’s really confident. Pretty, too. I respect her. Having to live amongst people who disregard your being simply because your appearance states otherwise_ and _coming out on top is something not everyone can do, but Vivienne can do that perfectly. Also, great sense of style. I’d like to become better friends with her, but I’m not sure how to do that. We’re not exactly cut from the same cloth, and there’s so little we have in common, save that we’d like to get this Breach shut._

_Ry’Lanna sent me a letter the other day, as the Lady Ambassador sent elven scouts to assure the clan that I was being treated in kind. Gaelyn and Athetriel send their wishes, apparently. Feeling like Gaelyn broke into my personal belongings again._

_Fenedhis, I want to go home._

_Neros Lavellan_


	9. Chapter 9

_Day 39 – Entry 3_

_It’s three in the bloody morning.  Keep having nightmares about losing my clan. I should not have left. I swear, my movements are starting to get sluggish because of these nightmares. I’m not fond of Solas, but at least he hears my whimpers and wakes me up._

_Also, yesterday, we went to the Storm Coast. I knew it was going to be raining, but I didn’t expect to be that nasty! Maker’s breath, one day I’d actually like to witness some decent weather. Found the Iron Bull and fought with him with these… Venatori. From Tevinter, Krem said. After the fight, the Iron Bull joined. I can’t help but remain in awe of the guy._

_Woof (written in the margins: “Hey! I didn’t write that!!”)_

_Neros Lavellan_

\---

_Day 40 – Entry 4_

_Sera!!!_

_(Several pictures of Sera sticking out her tongue cover the remainder of the page)_

*          *          *

Neros tossed a ball up and down, catching it effortlessly, his mind wandering to the clan. He’d written a letter back to Ry’Lanna, and seeing as the fighting’s getting worse, he’s fairly certain that the courier he sent was killed. With any luck, the letter was properly concealed. If not, then the people reading it would be in for confusion. The thing was jam packed with inside jokes.

His boots were muddy, his socks soaked. The snow seeping through the soles of his heals made his feet ache from the cold. He’d received more word about Warden Blackwall’s actions in the Hinterlands, and he was planning on leaving soon.

“Bah…” Neros tossed the ball across the room, quickly growing frustrated. He was quickly growing stressed about the situation. Problems were coming at full throttle from all sides; mages, templars, this… Venatori now. It doesn’t help that he also needed to find the person Cassandra thought was responsible for the Divine’s death.

He swung his feet over the edge of the bed, sitting up and pressing his elbows against his sore thighs. He let out a soft groan as he stretched out his back, his hair falling over his tired eyes.

Outside, the wind had picked up, the breeze flowing to inside the cabin, blowing stacks of reports down into a mess on the floor. _Aw, man… That took me forever to organize…_

Neros let loose one of his infamous pouts, paired with defeated eyes. He wanted to just sit here, get drunk, and relax, maybe find a few guys to flirt with, but that was probably highly unlikely.

Neros doesn’t flirt.

Standing, he grabbed his journal and a few other things; smoke bombs, throwing knives, caltrops, those types of things. He figured he’d need them if he was going to go out and hunt for this Blackwall fellow.

Putting his quiver on, rough knocking startled the elf, making him miss the buckle. “Who is it?” Neros’ voice was as loud as he could get it. His throat felt raw, feeling like he needed a drink. Or two.

The Iron Bull opened the door, watching as the elf struggled with his quiver. This part was always the worst. “You ready to get going, Boss?”

“Yes, just…” Neros dragged a hand through his hair, looking for that missing dagger. Maybe a flask or two. “Give me a moment…”

“What’cha looking for?” Bull asked, leaning against the doorframe. Neros was slightly worried he’d break the thing, and apparently his worry showed. “Your ears move when your worried, you notice that?”

“Yes, because I have peripheral vision, Bull…” Neros tried to joke, his sarcasm as evident as snow in the Frostbacks.

However sarcastic Neros was being, he elicited a small chuckle from the Qunari, allowing himself in. He stood in front of a spare dummy that Neros had dragged in here to practice his knife throwing. “Looking for this?” Bull held a dagger with rough stingray leather on the hilt, a small sapphire on the pommel. He knew the sapphire was fake, but it reminded him of the deep dark of the ocean. What lied beneath it all? Were there merpeople? Were there sea creatures as big as Thedas itself? The thought of trudging deep below the surface of the crashing waves, remembering his travel here to Ferelden made Neros’ stomach churn. _Maybe I’ll pay someone to look for me._

“Yeah.” Neros took the blade from Bull’s hand, putting it back in its scabbard. “Thanks…” He felt the click of the hilt meeting the scabbard, the familiar leather rough against his hand.

“Pretty enough blade; where’d you get it?” Bull asked him. “Can you use it?”

“My friend Gaelyn gave it to me as a gift, and yes…” Neros answered, grabbing his pack and walking out, Bull at his side.  “Though I prefer to throw it instead of get up close and personal... Sometimes, if it’s quiet enough, I can hear Gaelyn’s screech as it flies through the air…” Neros let out a quiet chuckle, hearing Bull’s own quiet scoff. “’You’re not supposed to throw it, you idiot!’ He’d shout at me.” A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

“I’d like to meet this Gaelyn.” Bull chuckled, seemingly amused.

Neros smirked. “I think he’d seem more in awe of the fact that you’re a Qunari and wouldn’t leave you alone…”

Bull’s laughter echoed, pulling at his eye patch. Neros looked at all the other scars on the Qunari’s body, reminding him of the scar tracing through Gaelyn’s own face. Damn thing nearly cost him his eye. Though that might mean little to the Iron Bull, it meant a lot to the clan. Gaelyn’s eyes were the fastest in the clan’s, faster than Neros’ own.

“See anything you like?” Bull asked, breaking Neros out of his reverie.

“U-Uh…” Neros snapped his eyes away from Bull’s arms, Bull’s jovial laughter sending vibrations deep into Neros’ bones.

“So, what are we doing after the Hinterlands, boss?” The Qunari asked the elf.

“It depends.” Neros thought. He wanted to clear up the Fallow Mire after this, rescuing their – Cullen’s troops. He wanted to sleep for a week. Other than that burning desire to return home, he wanted to fix that bloody hole in the sky. While “fix” might not be the right term, and “treated” would be better, Neros could to better than anyone else, aside from the person who created it in the first place.

“What did _you_ want to do?” Iron Bull asked, cutting right through the fat.

“Oh, numerous things,” Neros spoke without thinking, quickly turning a shade of red as the Bull’s jubilant laughter echoed. “I-I mean- ugh…”

The ride back to the Hinterlands was blissfully quiet, a few birds here and there. Neros was most thankful for the lack of bears. While their furs were warm, it wasn’t on Neros’ “to-do” list to get mauled by one of them. Fantastic beasts, sure, but he didn’t want to do the tango with one.

By the time Neros arrived at the Upper Lake Camp, his hands were raw from his horse. He could never ride a halla, who had the grand idea to place him on a _horse_? Letting out a loud groan as his feet hit the ground, he heard Varric’s laugh.

“Tired, Ghost?” The dwarf spoke up, his lips turned up in an amused smirk.

“Just a bit…” Neros answered, holding up his index finger and thumb, leaving about an inch of space between them. Neros’ mind was sluggish, as were his actions.

“I’ve news, ser,” The requisition officer spoke as Neros walked closer to the camp.

“No,” Neros snapped, cutting the officer off before she could get too far. He knew requisitions were important, but they couldn’t go out and get them themselves?

“But-” The officer continued. Neros’ steely gaze kept her from saying anything further. He wasn’t a fan of this intimidation tactic, but it was hardly the first time that this _particular_ officer was like this. Neros was simply lazy.

Neros let out a small grunt when he felt Cassandra’s elbow jab into his side. Coughing and clearing his throat, Neros spoke up; “I-I mean… I’m busy, right now. Try… Never?”

Cassandra let out a tired sigh. “There is no winning with you…”

“Not really, no…” Neros allowed a small smile to grace his lips.

A small breeze picked up, sending a chill down Neros’ spine as the group made their way to Warden Blackwall’s last known location. They must have been going in the right direction; shouting and orders could be heard from here.

“Remember how to carry your shields,” He heard the Warden’s voice. It held authority where there was none. “You’re not hiding; you’re holding. Otherwise it’s useless.”

Neros approached silently, his feet as quiet as a cat’s, guaranteed to at least startle the man. “Blackwall?” His voice called out. “Warden Blackwall?”

Blackwall’s head snapped the Neros, his eyes slightly wide, marching over to the elf. _Huh… It worked._ “You’re not- How do you know my name? Who sent- Agh!” Blackwall’s questions were halted as his shield arm raised in a blink of an eye, blocking Neros from an arrow headed for his own head.

It was Neros’ turn for his eyes to widen towards the arrow that nearly killed him, hearing the shouts from the bandits attacking.

“That’s it!” Blackwall’s steely blue-grey eyes stared back into Neros’ own angry ones. “Help or get out! We’re dealing with these idiots first.” He turned to the three people behind him, frightened and shaking, holding axes and swords. These were farmer boys, not fit to fight. “Conscripts, here the come!” Blackwall raised his sword charging in.

Neros watched the boys, himself getting into an aggressive stance, drawing his bow and an explosive arrow. They were shaking, not ready for a fight.

“You’re dead, bastard, dead!” One of the bandits shouted at Blackwall, Neros assumed.

“Hold the line, men!” Blackwall shouted at his draftees. “Let them come to me!”

Neros aimed an arrow, releasing it and hearing it screech through the air past the back of Blackwall’s head and into the forehead of the bandit that was gaining up beside him. _Now, if I could make an arrow that stunned people as it flew past them…_

He watched as Cassandra and Bull helped cover the draftee’s flanks, not watching or taking care of their situation. These boys were forced to fight, and they shouldn’t be. They should be making slop for their pigs.

Next to Neros, Varric wiped specks of blood of Bianca once the fight had ended. A few scrapes here and there, a bruise, but no missing limbs. It was… relatively easy.

Blackwall knelt in front of a fallen bandit, pushing his sword into the soft earth. “Sorry bastards…”

Neros’ eyes watched as the draftees gathered closer around Blackwall, their arms still shaking. They did well, for looking like they’ve never fought before. “Good work, conscripts. Even if this shouldn’t have happened, they could have…” Blackwall’s words trailed off. “Well… Thieves are made, not born. Take back what they stole. Go back to your families; you’ve saved yourselves.”

The draftees were slow in walking away. If Neros had been one of them, he’d have bolted for the bloody hills. If he was meant to farm, he would have done just that. He wouldn’t have picked up a blade and pretended to play the hero. This disgusted him.

Swallowing his pride, Neros took a few cautious steps towards the Warden, his shoulders still squared.

“You’re no farmer,” Blackwall’s eyes scrutinized the elf. _Well, that much is obvious._ “Why do you know my name? Who are you?”

“I’m here investigating Grey Wardens for the Inquisition… We’re seeing if their disappearance has anything to do with the murder of the Divine…” _Lady Leliana wasn’t wrong, however… Their timing is… suspicious._

“Maker’s balls…” Blackwall paced in front of Neros. He saw how his eyes widened in shock before he began to walk about, but whether that be from an avoidance of guilt, or a sincere look of “What the absolute fuck”, Neros didn’t know. “The Wardens and the Divine? That can’t… No. You’re asking, so you don’t really know.” He paused for a moment, seemingly trying to calm himself. “First off, I didn’t know they disappeared. But we do that, right? No more Blight, job done, and the Wardens are the first thing forgotten. But one thing I’ll tell you: No Warden killed the Divine. Our purpose isn’t political.”

_Tell that to King Alistair…_

“I’m not here to accuse… Not yet… I just need information…” Neros elaborated, clearing his throat, cracking his fingers. “I’ve only found you… Where are the rest…?”

Blackwall shrugged. “I haven’t seen any Wardens for months. I travel alone, recruiting. Not much interest because the Arch-Demon is a decade dead. And no need to conscript because there’s no Blight coming.” _There’s that word again… Conscript…_ “Treaties give us the right to take what we need- who we need. These idiots forced this fight,” Blackwall pointed to the dead bandits. “So I conscripted their victims.”

A little voice inside Neros’ skull resonated in a low growl. He hated that word. _Conscript, conscript, conscript. That’s what killed Mahariel!_

“They had to do what I said, so I told them to stand. Next time they won’t need me.” The Warden concluded, closing his eyes. “Grey Wardens can inspire, make you better than you think you are.”

 _That was useless._ Deciding against anything snarky and possibly getting another jab at Cassandra, Neros began. “It’s been a pleasure, Warden Blackwall, but this didn’t help at all…” Neros began to walk off, watching as Bull, Cassandra and Varric made their way around the lake.

He could feel Blackwall’s steely eyes on his back. “Inquisition… Agent… Did you say? Hold a moment.” The distance between him and Neros were closed within a few strides. “The Divine is dead, and the sky is torn. Events likes these, _thinking_ we’re absent is almost as bad as thinking we’re involved.” Blackwall paused for Neros’ signal for him to continue; a small hand gesture was just enough of one. “If you’re trying to put things right, maybe you need a Warden. Maybe you need me.”

Neros thought about this. “The inquisition needs all the support it can get; what can one Grey Warden do…?” At this point, Neros was toying with him. If Blackwall was offering, Neros was taking. Lady Leliana wanted him for the Inquisition, but to ask if he wanted to join, not to conscript.

Blackwall’s stern face turned into an amused one. “Save the fucking world, if pressed. Look, maybe fighting demons from the sky isn’t something I’m practiced at, but show me someone who is, and like I said, there are treaties. Maybe this isn’t a Blight, but it bloody well is a disaster. Some will honour them; being a Warden means something to a lot of people.”

He had a point. For months, he’d heard nothing about anything except Mahariel. She was a hero in their eyes, in more ways than one. “Warden Blackwall, the inquisition accepts your offer…”

“Good to hear; we both need to know what’s going on. And perhaps I’ve been keeping to myself for too long. This Warden walks with the Inquisition.” Blackwall held out his hand.

Neros took a few silent steps forward, reaching out and shaking the Warden’s hand. Compared to Blackwall’s, Neros’ grip was weak.

The ride back to Haven was, as before, quiet. Too quiet, for Neros’ taste. He needed some sort of noise to keep him awake, as he was slowly falling asleep on his horse. If it weren’t for the constant jostling of the horse, Neros would have fallen completely asleep.

The chilly winds of the Frostbacks were a welcome relief.

For now, they had as many recruits as they were ever going to have.

*          *          *

_Day 48 – Entry 5_

_Aside from the slew of drinks I had with Bull and Blackwall and the hangover I’m nursing right now, I’ve come to a decision: I’ll have a little chat with the mages, see what kind of deal we can strike up._

_After we came back from the Hinterlands last week, Blackwall told me about Warden outposts all over Ferelden and Orlais. Sounds like an interesting little mission. I just hope I don’t break any bones over it. I do remember chatting with Sera while we were drinking though, and she told me that she hoped I wasn’t too elfy?_

_(written in the margins) Don’t be walking around barefoot and complaining that you’ll never be as good as you were! It’s simple, innit?_

_When we met in Val Royeaux, she sounded Fereldan, and she also has that air about her. Denerim’s or Highever’s alienage, maybe? Sassy and funny, though. Great pranks._

_Leaving for Redcliffe soon. Cass and Cullen don’t like that I’m going for the mages, but I don’t want to go for the templars. They’re too ‘templarmental’._

_N.L._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took forever x3x


End file.
